Dollars & Sense: Are Premium Dog Hair Clippers Worth It?

Personally, I like saving money. The question, before I buy pretty much anything, is “Do I really need this?” Oftentimes, the inner struggle and indecisiveness can go on for quite a few minutes, as we all know.

However, when it comes to our pets, we want to make sure that they have everything they need to be as healthy and as happy as possible, and this includes dog grooming equipment. If you’ve ever thought to yourself whether the premium dog clippers are worth it or not, it all comes down to your perspective.

Can you groom your dog at home effectively using regular, cheap dog hair clippers? Yes, most certainly. We've seen some amazing dog clippers for decent price do fantastic job. But are premium dog hair clippers better? Technically, they are. But this topic needs a little more than a short answer.

Are Premium Dog Hair Clippers Worth the Price?

Good fiscal cents

When you see the price tag on a dog clipper such as the expensive Wahl 2-Speed Corded Clipper, your first reaction might be, “No chance in hell.” And you couldn't be more right. They usually cost quite a bit, and you have to work hard to find a reason that will justify buying such an expensive dog grooming tool, especially if you only have one pet. There are pros and cons to buying these expensive dog grooming clippers, so let's talk about that.

Most breeds of dogs need to be groomed every 6 to 8 weeks, sometimes more frequently. If you have a dog with a high maintenance coat that requires a lot of grooming, you may need to groom them every month or even more.

How often do you groom your dog? Every dog is different, but regardless, you’ll be grooming your Fido at least six times a year, which might not seem like a lot, but the average visit to a professional pet groomer is between $30 and $90 per session ($180 to $540 a year), according to Angie’s List. This is the minimum amount of times you must groom your pet.

Other pet parents – some of whom I know personally – will groom their dogs once every two weeks. This type of schedule can weigh down your wallet if every single time you'd be taking your pet to a professional.

Let's do some basic math here. Usually, the cost of dog grooming depends on the maintenance requirement of your particular pet. In general, your yearly amount owed, if you decide to use professional pet groomer's services, will be between $180 and $540, if you groom your dog at the minimum amount required (i.e. every two months).

So if you're on the lower end of that spectrum, and you don't plan to groom your pooch any more often than that, then paying around $180 yearly for professional dog grooming is better than acquiring your own pet clippers for the same cost and then spending time grooming your Fido.

However, if your a pet parent who enjoys grooming dogs, or plans to do this far more often, or your dog's coat is simply harder to groom thereby bringing you to the higher end of that yearly cost ($540), then your yearly grooming costs are already higher than just buying the pet clipper and doing your grooming at home.

Cheap clippers vs expensive ones. Honestly, you'll see a lot of reviews from pet parents as well as ratings on sites that even the cheapest dog clippers can do the job to a certain extent. That's true. So if your dog's grooming requirements are minimal, and you don't mind that a set of cheap dog clippers for around $25 will probably last you a year at most, then getting a set of budget dog clippers is the best solution.

Aside from not lasting long enough, cheaply made dog hair clippers have other disadvantages. Usually, it's the lack of “strength” of the clippers, which makes grooming medium to long coats a real hassle. There's a lack of necessary features, such as the cooling of the handle, which gets hot about 5 minutes into grooming, and a few other aspects.

Nevertheless, it's possible to groom your dog using the cheapest dog hair clippers you can find, as long as you're a patient pet parents.

Expensive dog hair clippers such as those from Wahl we talked about above will usually make the job of grooming that much easier. These will be a long-lasting item too, meaning that the cost of grooming wouldn’t continue to build up—you wouldn’t need to buy new pet clippers every year. We all love saving money, and a $150-200 charge that you pay for a set of premium dog clippers is more cost-effective in the long run than paying for professional groomers repeatedly, year after year.

If you browser customer reviews on some for some of those dog hair clippers on, say, Amazon, you'll see a trend that purchasing budget items as a way to save money isn’t the best decision. Why? Because the better the grooming equipment, the less chance of needing to make corrective payments. That includes vet’s appointments because your dog accidentally got clipper burn from a cheap motor, buying a second dog clipper because your first one broke out of the box, or having to schedule an appointment with a professional groomer because the first clipping session went so terribly and ineffectively wrong that you swore off it for good.

If you’re going to purchase your first set of dog hair clippers, make sure you really put your heart into it and buy the best of the best, or at least find a compromise. In fact, there are some great winners among averagely priced clippers for dogs that are almost as good as the professional pet clippers. Go for those instead if you cannot afford the premium item. Otherwise, you’re starting more trouble for yourself (and your dog) than you need.

Bottom line. Buying a premium quality dog clipper makes more fiscal sense than going to the professional pet groomer regularly. However, you can also buy the cheapest dog hair clippers and make it work to a certain extent. Finally, for the frugal ones, the best option is to find a compromise: a great set of well-reviewed dog clippers for the middle of the road price.

Still thinking about acquiring professional dog grooming clippers and thinking of some other reasons why a pet owner should consider them? If you're a big believer in regular pet grooming and doing this yourself, then there are a few other reasons to browse the premium quality section. Let's take a look at the benefits of becoming a home groomer and starting to groom your Fido at home.

Top 3 Advantages of Grooming Your Dog at Home

Grooming your dog at home is possible only if you have the best equipment there is, or at least a decent set that you trust 100%. No pet owner would like to hurt their dog, especially when such occurrences cannot be predicted as they happen due to faulty dog grooming equipment.

If you want your pooch to be groomed at professional standards, you need to have grooming tools that meet those professional standards. In this case, premium dog clippers are the primary suspects. When you groom your dog at home, you have a lot more advantages than if you send them to a pet groomer's salon.

1One advantage of becoming a home groomer is saving money. The grooming equipment used to professionally groom your dog is much cheaper to buy and stock up on than to take your dog repeatedly to the salon for years. It’s simple dollars and cents (or sense?).

Most pet owners still avoid grooming their dogs as required. However, many vets have expressed the importance of dog grooming for optimal health and why dog owners should start doing this more regularly. This doesn't include clipper the hair alone, but also teeth cleaning, nail clipper and other vital grooming procedures.

2Grooming your dog at home allows you and your dog a chance to bond. Many home pet groomers list this as the first reason on why they love taking care of their canines at home. After all, the reason we adopt dogs is so that we can spend time with them.

Outside of bonding, grooming should start as early as possible, and if you have a puppy, they need to get on the grooming track as soon as they can. Why? Because that way your puppy will learn quickly that grooming is fun and not anything to be afraid of. It's important to let your dog get used to the grooming and bathing procedures.

3Pet parents who choose to groom their dogs at home will keep always be aware of any possible health issues or injuries that their dogs may have. Similarly to us, humans, dogs can get all kinds of skin problems, fatty tumors, or other unsightly and suspicious blemishes that can signify something more serious.

Bathing your dog, grooming them, clipping their hair and nails means that you are up close and personal with your dog’s skin and hair. If there’s a problem and you’re observant, you’ll catch it and be able to schedule a vet’s appointment that same day instead of waiting for a groomer to tell you if they’ve seen any issues, which may or may not happen.

Only you know your dog best. If your pooch is acting differently in a subtle way, a professional groomer who isn’t in tune to that might not know, simply because they don’t see your dog every day and don’t have a point of reference to compare the behavior to. On top of that, not every groomer will care enough to report potential problems with your puppy.

So between the fiscal sensibility and the benefits that come with taking the plunge and buying a set of premium dog clippers, there are tons of advantages to professionalizing your grooming equipment and going full-out with what you need to buy and set up to groom your dog at home.

Premium dog clippers are a great investment for long-term and they're worth the price. Are they necessary? Absolutely not. You can get away with averagely priced clippers and even the cheap ones, if you can make that work. Many owners have managed to without too many problems. Lastly, if time is more valuable to you and you can afford it, then simply taking your dog regularly to a professional grooming studio is a better overall choice.

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